Children reach many developmental changes in the first several years of life. Consider that most children have learned to walk, talk and eat with proper utensils, among other milestones. One of the biggest, and sometimes the most difficult, of these developmental milestones is the ability to get through the entire night without needing diapers or pull-ups. Most pediatricians agree that children should be able to properly hold their bladder through the night by age 5. Failure to do so will often result in bedwetting, which can be embarrassing for the child and frustrating for parents.

What Can Cause Bedwetting?

• Genetics can play a role in a child’s tendency to wet the bed. In fact, it would not be surprising to find that either of the parents, or an older sibling, was also a bedwetter.
• An immature bladder may also be the culprit. If the bladder is not fully developed, it will not be able to properly communicate with the brain to tell it that the bladder is full.
• Some children may simply have smaller bladders than others. This means that it will get full more quickly. Encourage the child to use the toilet just before bedtime and don’t allow any nighttime bottles or cups of water, so that the bladder is as empty as possible.
• Some children are initially able to not wet the bed, but then regress into bedwetting again. In such cases, a psychological problem may be the cause. For example, the child may be stressed about starting at a new school or the arrival of a younger sibling.

How Can Chiropractic Adjustments Help with Bedwetting?

Proper bladder function and the ability to empty it are controlled by a series of muscles that are attached to the spinal L2. Furthermore, the sacrum starts out as five separate segments. It does not fully fuse into one segment until late adolescence. It should not be surprising that the developing sacrum is particularly prone to injury, due to such factors as falls or early attempts at walking. Such injuries to the sacrum may put pressure on the bladder and surrounding muscular structure, thereby leading to bedwetting. Trauma to the sacrum may also affect the lumbar vertebra that control proper bladder function.

Clearly, an adjustment to the lumbar region of the spine will remove pressure on the bladder and its surrounding muscles, allowing the child to have proper control of their urinary function. Dr. Horst has successfully treated many young children for bedwetting, without the need for medications.

What Does the Research Say?

There are numerous case reports of one or two children who were successfully treated for bedwetting. One example can be found in the May 1994 issue of the Journal of Manipulative Physiological Therapy.

However, some studies have looked at a much larger group of children. An example of this type of study can be found in the September 1994 issue of the Journal of Manipulative Physiological Therapy. 46 children who were bedwetters were divided into two groups. 31 children received chiropractic treatment, and the other 15 did not. The researchers found the children who received treatment has a 50 percent reduction in nights of bedwetting.

Getting through the night without wetting the bed is a big developmental milestone for children. Chiropractic treatment can help both children and parents sleep soundly with no fear of bedwetting. Contact Horst Chiropractic to schedule an appointment.